ESPN's Jeff Darlington reports Rob Gronkowski has been thinking about retirement for "quite some time."

Darlington went on to say it isn't just a reaction to the Super Bowl loss or Gronk's recent concussion and that he's been considering it "long before both instances." It still seems likely that Gronk will return for the 2018 season, but as more reports continue to emerge, it wouldn't be surprising to see him retire.

Amerson can earn another $3.75 million through incentives. This, of course, is not the destination the Raiders would have picked. Amerson, 26, stays in the AFC West with Kansas City, which needs a starting right cornerback across from LCB Marcus Peters with Kendall Fuller in the slot. Amerson was a 2015 revelation in Oakland after a trade from Washington, then fizzled out immediately after signing a 2016 five-year, $34 million deal. On a one-year prove-it contract with the Chiefs, Amerson will have full motivation in 2018.

According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, ESPN is targeting Peyton Manning to replace Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football.

Per Marchand, ESPN is willing to "back up the truck" for Manning, though he's also being pursued by Fox as a color man for Thursday Night Football. Manning eventually sees himself in a John Elway role running football operations for an NFL team, but reportedly hasn't closed the door on broadcasting. ESPN is considering a complete overhaul of MNF and may even look to replace lead announcer Sean McDonough. Matt Hasselbeck served as a color analyst for ESPN's coverage of the Pro Bowl and may be the leading in-house candidate to replace Gruden should Manning pass on the job.

Hurney was placed on paid leave for two weeks while the league looked into claims of harassment made by his ex-wife. After finding no evidence of wrongdoing, the NFL has closed its investigation and Hurney will return to his role as the team's interim GM. The Panthers have interviewed Hurney, Lake Dawson, Martin Mayhew and Jimmy Raye III for the permanent GM position, but may wait for new ownership to be in place before announcing a hire. Hurney is considered the favorite.

Davis met with the Bills on Thursday and will continue his free agent tour with more visits next week. The two-time Pro Bowler struggled while battling injuries last year but wouldn't be a bad flyer for the Browns, who lead the league with over $110 million in cap space. Davis turns 30 in May.

Cooper did miss a pair of games late in the year due to a concussion and a high-ankle sprain, but even before that, he never looked right. "He would never say it to you but I'll say it to you to have his back," said Carr. "That man was out there giving anything he could and honestly, a lot of guys probably wouldn't have played with what he had." Though he inexplicably scored a career-high seven touchdowns, Cooper's 48 catches and 680 receiving yards were both career-lows. He was also among the league leaders in drops with 10. Still just 23, Cooper will be a prime bounce-back candidate if he can stay healthy in 2018.

ESPN Browns reporter Pat McManamon believes A.J. McCarron "shoots to the top of he Browns' options" among free-agent quarterbacks.

The Browns will surely try to throw their hat into the ring for Kirk Cousins, but it seems highly doubtful Cousins will want to play there. McCarron obviously has a history with coach Hue Jackson after Jackson was his OC in Cincinnati and then foolishly tried to trade second- and third-round picks for McCarron at the trade deadline last year only to be saved by Sashi Brown. New GM John Dorsey may have more of a say in things, and it's unclear how he feels about McCarron. The Browns need to aim a lot higher, but McCarron could be an okay 2018 temporary stop-gap to allow a rookie to sit and learn the NFL ropes for a little bit.

The Charlotte Observer reports South Carolina businessman Ben Navarro has emerged as the first serious candidate to buy the Panthers.

Navarro is "actively exploring" a bid. Per his Bloomberg profile, Navarro is the "Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sherman Financial Group, LLC." He has previously worked for Citicorp and Goldman Sachs. It's a typical NFL owner's background.

A.J. McCarron has won his grievance against the Bengals and been awarded unrestricted free agency.

The grievance dated back to McCarron's rookie season in 2014, where the Bengals kept him on the non-football injury list for all but two games, saying he suffered a shoulder injury away from the team. That prevented his contract from tolling, and meant he was headed for restricted, instead of unrestricted, free agency this offseason. McCarron contended his injury was wrongly listed as non-football, and an independent arbitrator agreed. Going on 28, McCarron will now be one of the "stars" of a slightly-deeper-than-usual free agent quarterback class. The No. 164 overall pick of the 2014 draft, McCarron has attempted just 133 career passes. He could be a Brock Osweiler or Mike Glennon waiting to happen. McCarron has a noted admirer in ex-Bengals OC/current Browns coach Hue Jackson, who nearly pulled off a deadline deal for his ex-pupil.

It's Davis' first visit since he was released by the Colts in early November. The nine-year veteran announced last week that he had been medically cleared after undergoing core muscle surgery. Three months shy of his 30th birthday, Davis might still have some good snaps to offer but has become increasingly-bitten by the injury bug.

Hurney was accused of harassment by his ex-wife, allegations his lawyer called "complete fiction." He was placed on paid leave by the team and put under investigation by the league. Rodrigue reports Hurney will be considered for the permanent GM job if he is cleared, but it seems likely that ship has sailed.